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Colonial Athletic Association Panty Raid

Two things: one, the Colonial is an “Athletic Association”, not a “Conference”, and two, the Colonial Athletic Association can definitely use more smokin’ hotties– they are sorely lacking in that department. Fortunately for us, the CAA at least has enough hotties to fill out a pretty nice looking All-Association All-Conference lineup. More fortunately for the CAA, what they lack in looks they more than make up for with skills… the CAA has turned out to be a very competitive league, loaded with great teams- as many as four of which could be headed to the Big Dance. But first, the Hotties!

Depending on the outcome of the conference tourney, there could be more than one CAA team invited to the Big Dance. Obviously the winner will get the auto-bid, but even if Virginia Commonwealth or Old Dominion don’t emerge victorious, it’s still very likely they will get in anyway. Hofstra or Drexel are also very viable possibilities. If #4 seed Hofstra takes the tourney, and VCU, OD and Drexel all win convincingly in their first round, there is a slight chance all four teams could make it in… and the hopes of bubble teams around the country would all burst with one giant POP.

But the more important question is: who will look the best while competing at the tourney? And even though they have little shot of winning, the Fightin’ Blue Hens of Delaware looks to field the hottest team on the court. They may be saddled with a ridiculous mascot, but they’ve got lots of hot guys.

Other tidbits about the CAA:

* Last year’s Final Four darling George Mason is not likely to make the field of 65 this year (outside of an upset win at the tourney- they’re the #6 seed in the conference). Even more disappointing, senior guard Tim Burns made the classic rookie mistake of posing for his official photo wearing a t-shirt under his jersey. Mega points were deducted from his team’s hot rating as a result.

Men: don’t let this fashion tragedy happen to you

* Virginia Commonwealth, on the other hand, gets bonus points for having the guts to have teammates pose like NBA All-Stars, palming balls and generally mugging for the cameras.

I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller

* Boo to William & Mary for not adding photos of the guys to the roster. What are you trying to hide? Also, having the “Tribe” as your mascot avoids the Chief Illiniwek problem, sure… but leaves you open instead to offending all Indian tribes across the country, instead of just offending an extinct confederation of tribes from Illinois. Think about it.

* Georgia State, old stomping grounds of Ludacris and Julia Roberts (would love to see those two crowds hanging out at a frat party together), are also apparently big Thundercats fans.

Thundercats, ho!

* Need someone to sell you on the mid-major experience? There’s a new book examining the CAA last year, what they’re calling “the year of the mid-major.” Even better, the author has a pretty darned awesome blog that follows CAA hoops. Anyone who hates on Florida State has my full support.

* Perhaps the most interesting shooting technique in the country belongs to David Schneider of William & Mary. Witness:

* Best mascot? The Hofstra Pride. Yes, it refers to a pride of lions (very regal, that) – but Tim Hardaway still does not approve.

* If the Towson team looks eerily familiar, that’s because 4 of their starting 5 are transfers from other schools, including leading scorer/rebounder Gary Neal (LaSalle). It’s deja vu all over again.

CAA tourney action starts March 2nd, and the championship game will be broadcast on ESPN at 7:00 pm EST, March 5th. You can watch all the previous rounds’ games live streamed over the internet- details here.

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About Texas Gal

Pitched four years for the Philadelphia Athletics, and then played shortstop for seven years for the Montreal Expos. Taught Rickey Henderson to steal a base. Taught Nolan Ryan to throw a punch. Taught Mickey Mantle to drink a beer. Threw one seven-hitter and seven no-hitters. Wonderboy was my creation, and first Jobu shrine was in my locker. Often called "the next Dustin Pedroia". Always wear high socks and eyeblack. Prefer to slide headfirst.

My top live basketball experience ever (so far) was the VCU vs. ODU final in the 2005 conference tourney. Absolutely amazing game, and knowing the bid was on the line really ratcheted up the excitement vs. big-conference tourneys.

Yeah- the Center was hands-down guaranteed to be the hardest dude to find in all of my conferences. Like, all of them, no lie. Plus, like I mentioned, the CAA is HARD UP for good lookin’ dudes. It was like picking the best of the worst.

If only I could have filled my Hottie Teams with 5 guards- plenty of hot guards to go around…